Owners plan updates

More than half (52 percent) of homeowners plan a home improvement or addition this fall,
according to the real-estate website Zillow.

The site’s fall home improvement trend and spending survey found that homeowners plan to spend
an average of $1,000 on fall improvements, $200 less than a summer survey found.

Another study last week, by the building permit information service BuildFax, found that
residential remodeling permits rose 16 percent in July compared with a year ago. The strongest
remodeling activity was in the West.